Flexible coupling



y 31, 1945- w. H. OPITZ FLEXIBLE COUPLING Filed March 8, 1944 Gttorneg:

indicates a pair of hubs Patented July 3i, 1945 wimmmosi lalesllelghtgm adgngeto Gcneralllotir' soerporatiomnetrolamch a n I" v I mass m 8.1!,8erlal No. mm

This invention relates to, flexible couplings and more particularly to an improved low cost joint structure adapted for the transmission oftorque between driving and driven shafts and constructed easily: from a few readily available parts,

consisting essentially of one or more conven-\ tional rubber bushing units connected at opposite ends to the shafts to be coupled and arranged on an axis substantially tangent to the axis of drive rotation for the transmission of torque in either direction through the rubber bushing acting in shear.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention a series of coupling units are disposed in circumferentially spaced relation and each has a cylindrical bushing of rubber or other similar elastic deformable material secured between an outer sleeve and an inner core constituting a rubber packed cylinder'and plunger assembly with-oppositely extending cylinder and plunger terminals projecting from opposite ends for hinged attachment with the driving and driven members. There are thus provided articulated struts through which the driving force is transmitted' axially of the struts with the rubber 2 Claims. (,cl. 6.4-12) one of which isilttedabearingbushinglforan attachment bolt or trunnion mounting in 4 and the other of which openingis axially aligned with the head of a bolt secured on the corresponding lobe of the companion hub; This arrangement enables asuitable wrench to be inserted through the lobeinto engagement with v the stud head for assembly and disassembly convenience. In the space between the two hubs each stud l carries a shouldered bearing sleeve I on which is hingedly secured one end of an adjacent strut.

Each strut has an intermediate yieldable portion comprising a pairoi' concentric nested inner andvouter spaced sleeves and l having between them a bushing I of rubber or the like, which is surface bonded tothe metal sleeves by frictional grip, vulcanization, cement orthe Preferably the rubber bushing is initially loaded radially of its according to usual manufacturing practice. A central pin 1 extends through the inner sleeve 6 and. has a fixed shoulder IO enga ing one end of the' sleeve'and a removable shoulder '|l engaging the other end of the stressed in shear and the whole serving to.

the need for extreme manufacturing accuracy and to' accommodate angularity and misalignment of the parts to be coupled. To assist in dampening torque impulses the terminal ex- -cushion impulses and being: flexible to eliminate panying drawing wherein Figure l is a longi- I tudinal sectional view of the coupling taken substantially on line l-l of Figure 2 and Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on lin 2-2 of Figure 1 with a portion of one of the coupling units in section.

In the drawing the reference character l--l to be splined. keyed or otherwise secured to driving and driven shafts, respectively. To connect the hubs at substan tial radial distance from the axial center each hub may carry an enlarged disk or a series of spokes to which the connecting struts are Joined. For strength and light weight the hub extensions may be of clover-leaf .shape, as best seen in Figure 2. so that there are three lobes 2-2 for a three strut assembly. Each lobe is connected to one end of an adjacent strut but is provided with two circumferentially spaced openings; in

sleeve and secured to the pin by a bolt l2 threaded into the end of the pin 0. From the end of the sleeve i opposite the detachable washer H the pint projects from the cushion unit and terminates in an eye I! for hinged attachmenton an adjacent sleeve 'i secured to one of thehubs I by the bolt 4 beforementioned. To the companion huh I a corresponding trunnion bolt assembly hingedly mounts an enlarged eye It on the opposite end ofthe strut and integral with a hollow cap or cover shell ii which is sleev'ed on the outer bushing l and welded, threaded, press fitted or otherwise fixedly secured thereto. The hollow space within the cap forms an air pocket which receives the inner end of the central plunger assembly, the interior space preferably having a bleeder port It in the wall of the cap ii of a predetermined metered size.

In the coupling' shown in the drawing three struts are employed connecting the hubs l-l,

axially of the strut for either direction or-rotation and the movement is transmitted from theinner plunger to the outer cylinder through the rubben bushing which yields elastically and 2 enema thereby unootha out vibration with the elasticity of the rubber being augmented by the air pocket formed at one end. The yleidabiiity o! the amt and the hinged end connection: make the coupling especially adapted for the compensation of shaft misalignment.

I claim: g

i. In combination with a pair of rotary memberetobecoupiedindriverelatiomoiaeeriae of motion transmitting connectors between laid members, each comprising a plunger carried by one o the members, a cylinder having an om end to receive the plunger therein and a chambered head closing the other end and being carried by the other member, and a bushing or rubber or the like interpoaed between and secured to the cylinder and the plunger and cooperating with the chambered head to provide an air pocket daehpot.

2. The etructure of claim 1 wherein said air. 10 pocketieprovidedwithanairbleederport.

WEEOPITZ. 

